Rodger Bechtold to Exhibit New Abstract Landscapes at Gallery KH in Chicago

Chicago, IL, February 27, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Gallery KH is pleased to present Rodger Bechtold: Middle Ground - A New Look at the Midwest Landscape, opening March 13 through April 18, 2009. An opening night cocktail reception with the artist is scheduled for Friday, March 13, 2009, 5-8PM.

“Middle Ground will be an exemplary show for Rodger Bechtold to showcase his signature style- both in terms of composition and color palette,” says Kristen Hagan, Gallery KH Co-Director. An Illinois resident, Bechtold’s lively colored landscapes have become a distinct trademark. His painterly interpretations of place and moment offer an open, uplifting quality to his midwestern countrysides and his liberated sense of color vitalizes each canvas.

The work, which has been likened to famed artist Wolf Kahn, is uniquely Bechtold’s own. States Hagan, “Over the course of many years, Bechtold has really come into his own. While the influence of Kahn and their collaborations together will always inspire his work, Bechtold is truly focused on the Midwestern landscape and capturing the essence of that geographical area in his own way.”

Bechtold began his formal art training at the American Academy of Art in 1963 and continued at the School of the Art Institute in 1982. In 1993 he enrolled in the Masters Art Program of Santa Fe at the Santa Fe Institute of Fine Arts where he began his in-depth studies with Kahn. In 1995 Bechtold found himself again in Santa Fe, this time at the invitation of Kahn, a tremendous honor.

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